Bacon, Francis -- Essays or Counsels Civil and Moral, No. 29 “Of the True Greatness of Kingdoms and Estates” (1612)

Dave — Thu, 14 Jul 2016 18:50:01 +0000

Nay, number (itself) in armies importeth not much, where the people is of weak courage; for (as Virgil saith) It never troubles a wolf how many the sheep be.

Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English philosopher, scientist, author, statesman
Essays or Counsels Civil and Moral, No. 29 “Of the True Greatness of Kingdoms and Estates” (1612)
(Source)

The wolf reference is actually a common Latin proverb: "Non curat numerum lupus [The wolf doesn't care about the number]," or its longer form "Lupus non curat numerum ovium" [The wolf does not care about the number of sheep.].

Though Bacon explicitly notes the phrase in Virgil's Eclogues, the Latin saying is often attributed to Bacon.

Sa'adi -- The Gulistan, ch. 8, Maxim 42 (1258) [tr. Rehatsek (1964)]

Dave — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 13:28:26 +0000

Drop upon drop collected will make a river. Rivers upon rivers collected will make a sea.

Sa'adi (1184–1283/1291?) Persian poet [a.k.a. Sa'di, Moslih Eddin Sa'adi, Mushrif-ud-Din Abdullah, Muslih-ud-Din Mushrif ibn Abdullah, Mosleh al-Din Saadi Shirazi, Shaikh Mosslehedin Saadi Shirazi]
The Gulistan, ch. 8, Maxim 42 (1258) [tr. Rehatsek (1964)]

WIST Quotations

Bacon, Francis -- Essays or Counsels Civil and Moral, No. 29 “Of the True Greatness of Kingdoms and Estates” (1612)

Sa'adi -- The Gulistan, ch. 8, Maxim 42 (1258) [tr. Rehatsek (1964)]